Loveliness
by Stitchpunk
Summary: "Well...I never said I wasn't still terrified of him. But...I do want it..." Part 1: Ginji and Akabane are somehow together and Ban finds out. Part 2: Ginji gets hurt and Akabane feels guilty. But it's okay. There's still some sushi left in the fridge.
1. It's okay, we have pie

"_Hey!_" Ban shouted as he walked into the back hallway that lead to the customers' restrooms. Akabane pulled his lips away from Ginji's where he was holding him from behind and had his chin turned to him with his gloved fingertips. He looked with a challenging smile up at Ban and tipped his hat threateningly.

"Hai? _Midou Ban-kun_," the man asked with underlying malicious gloating.

"You get the fuck away from him," Ban growled, knowing that if he messed this up, he was going to get Ginji sliced open.

"Whatever for?" Akabane smiled audaciously.

"Let. Him. Go," Ban ordered. Akabane, surprisingly, did so. He took a step back and to the side, tipping his hat at Ban and smiling sweetly at him.

"I assure you, he's not been harmed in any way," the man said before grunting harshly as he was shoved against the wall by Ban's forearm which was now pressed into his chest.

"Ch-_chotto_, Ban-chan!" Ginji exclaimed and hurried over to his friend, putting his hand on his shoulder and urging him to step back. Ban didn't relinquish his position in the slightest.

"Ginji, go into the main room," the spiky-haired man commanded evenly.

"...Iie, Ban-chan," Ginji refused quietly.

Ban, without removing his arm from the taller Akabane, looked over at his friend and partner suspiciously.

"Ginji...tell me _exactly_ what is going on. Now," he ordered lowly.

"I-I, uhm. I don't-," Ginji stumbled over, his tongue suddenly not wanting to obey him. "I mean-...That is, I-"

"_Ginji._ Spit it out already," Ban barked impatiently.

"I kind of...wasn't...uhm...not _minding_ exactly..." Ginji admitted, a blush washing over his cheeks that only embarrassed him further.

"Excuse me?" Ban asked flatly.

"What I mean is-! Um. I kind of. Uh. I was letting him," Ginji mumbled with his eyes avoiding contact with his partner's.

"Why," Ban asked, sounding more like he was stating it.

"B-because, I kind of..." Ginji's blush turned almost neon and he backed up a step, hunching his shoulders forward in shame. "I sort of slept with him..." he whispered as quietly as he could, cringing hard afterward and hoping Ban hadn't heard him.

"_...NANI?_" Ban screamed at the top of his lungs, letting Akabane go on accident in his shock.

Ginji put his hands on Ban's shoulders and looked up at him pleadingly. "Please, Ban-chan-I swear I didn't mean to! It just sort of happened and then it just kept going and I didn't really do anything to stop it, and it wasn't like I planned this or anything, but now it's kind of a done deal and I can't exactly just back out of it-" he rambled until Ban placed his hand over his mouth, effectively shutting him up.

"You want out, you say the word," Ban said comfortingly, his eyes glinting menacingly at Akabane as he squinted at the man out the corners of his eyes. Akabane simply smiled at him. _Damn that bastard._

"I...I don't want out," Ginji said apologetically. "Please! Ban-chan, please don't be mad, I just-"

"I'm not mad," Ban cut him off instantly. He pushed Ginji back by the shoulders. "You're a big boy. You can do what you want."

"...You're really not?" Ginji asked hopefully.

"I'm really not," Ban ground out.

"Really, really?" Ginji pushed.

Ban huffed at him and shoved him back a few steps.

"_No_, Ginji. I'm not _mad._ I'm _disgusted_," he bit out and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it up as he turned and began to walk away calmly. Ginji ran up behind him and grabbed him by the shoulder, forcing him around to face him.

"But you can't be!" Ginji insisted.

"Oh, I assure you, I can," Ban said a bit bitingly.

"But _please_, Ban-chan. Don't be? For me? For your partner? Your pal?" Ginji asked with his best sparkling doe eyes.

"Tch. A partner that fraternizes with the enemy," Ban scoffed.

"B-b-but _Ban-chan_..." Ginji cried, his eyes welling up on cue. "_Please_..." He stepped forward, standing straight so he could invade Ban's personal space and pulled the cigarette from his friend's lips, dropping it on the floor. He slowly wrapped his friend in a tentative embrace and pressed his cheek against Ban's neck. "Please..." he said into his shoulder.

Ban on the other hand was losing his resolve quickly. With an uncomfortable shiver, he pushed his affectionate partner away firmly.

"You realize who you're doing this with, right?" Ban asked seriously. Ginji nodded solemnly.

"I know," he assured his friend.

"And you remember this is the guy who kills innocents for fun, right?" Ban continued.

"Not exactly innocents...and I made him stop dealing with weaker opponents like that, remember?" Ginji reasoned a bit naively.

"And he stopped because you made him or else he would be killed himself, not because he's a good person," Ban reminded the boy harshly. "And I doubt his urges to fight you into turning back into Raitei are diminished at all."

"...I doubt that too..." Ginji admitted. "But...he's not so bad, Ban-chan..."

"Basically he's a good kisser," Ban said flatly with eyes that looked down on his friend.

"Oh, I'm more than that," Akabane said slyly as he stepped up behind Ginji and wrapped his arm down over the blonde's shoulder and across his chest, fingers digging into his ribs ever so slightly.

"And what exactly do you mean by _that?_" Ban bit out threateningly.

Akabane leaned in until his chin was almost touching Ginji's trembling shoulder.

"I mean he's not exactly unwilling to do _anything _I've asked of him," Akabane said smugly. He placed his fingertips on Ginji's chin and turned him up to face him again. Ginji kept his eyes averted and gulped hard.

"And what exactly have you _asked of him?_" Ban growled lowly.

"Nothing untoward, I assure you," Akabane replied smoothly.

"This entire _thing_ is _untoward_, if you ask me," Ban dismissed angrily. "And whatever you did to force him into this, I'm going to get to the bottom of it."

"...He didn't force me, Ban-chan..." Ginji said quietly as Akabane allowed him to turn away, his fingers trailing up his toy's jawline and down his neck before detaching from him and moving down to hold his hip.

"I'll believe that when I see it," Ban sniffed doubtfully.

"Then..." Ginji began before closing his eyes shamefully. He took a deep breath and sighed unevenly. "Then I'll show you." He pushed Akabane's hands off him and turned to the side, Akabane positioning himself in front of the boy accordingly. Ginji reached his arms up around the man's neck and he leaned up against the man's chest for balance. With his head tilted so Ban could see him, Ginji inhaled shakily once more and forced himself to be brave. He could do this. He could do this and mean it. He could do this _willingly_. And he could admit to himself that he wasn't exactly a coerced partner. Entirely.

"Ginji, you don't have to-" Ban began, but Ginji ignored him. He pushed himself higher up on his tiptoes and put his weight on his arms to force Akabane to lower himself closer to his level. And with that, he pressed their lips together, quickly so he wouldn't lose his tiny amount of bravery before he could get the act over with. He felt hands gripping his hips and pulling him forward into Akabane's warmth until he was pressed bodily into the man from his knees to his top. He was distracted enough to let Akabane part his lips with his tongue and slip it into his mouth. With a quiet grunt of surprise when he realized what was happening, _again_, he jumped back in awkward fear, pushing Akabane away firmly, and took a trembling step away from the man.

With a hard swallow, he looked over at Ban and exhaled sharply as his lungs tensed.

"S-see?" he whispered in what was meant to be an even and confident voice, and came out as anything but. "I don't-...he didn't."

"You're telling me _this_ is your version of willing?" Ban challenged with a raised eyebrow.

"Well...I never said I wasn't still _terrified _of him," Ginji admitted. "But...I _do_ want it..." he persisted.

"...You're very strange, Ginji," Ban frowned. "And confusing."

"I know," Ginji replied, looking down in shame. "I don't get it either."

"Look me in the eye and tell me you're telling the truth when you say no one is making you do this for any reason," Ban ordered.

"...Are you going to use the Jagan on me?" Ginji asked nervously.

"No. I don't need the Jagan to tell when you're hiding something from me," Ban told him pridefully. "You're easier to read than a book when you try to lie knowing someone is actually paying attention."

Ginji nodded with a blush and closed his eyes before lifting his face to Ban's and matching his impelling gaze.

"I want this. No ones forcing me. No one's blackmailing me. I did it on my own," Ginji said, attempting an even voice and almost succeeding.

"You're lying about the last part," Ban contended.

"...Well, he kissed me first, but it wasn't-"

"Fine then. I believe you," Ban accepted. He turned to Akabane and landed him with a hard stare, narrowing his eyes furiously as he pointed at him. "But if you do _one_ thing, and I mean _one thing_-"

"I do intend on engaging him in battle still," Akabane revealed freely. Ban snapped his mouth shut and glared and Ginji snapped his mouth shut with a distraught whimper. "However, I won't push him into a territory he can't return from again," he amended.

"Th-thank you," Ginji squeaked anxiously.

"If you so much as give him one scar, I will tear you into bits so small you wouldn't even heal if we took you to Gen," Ban snarled at the man.

"Oh, I _do_ intend to scar him," Akabane argued. "But only until he finds an electrical source and heals himself."

"You little-" Ban spat and took a menacing step forward until Ginji slid between the two.

"Please? Don't start anything? For me?" the blonde requested pleadingly.

Ban stopped short and stared at him.

"Tell me you're not in love with him," he said deadpan.

"I'm not! I swear!" Ginji cried out earnestly, looking straight at him. Ban's eyes widened for a split second before returning to his normal condescending stare. He chuffed and pushed his glasses back up on his nose. The kid was lying straight to his face. He didn't want Akabane to know. But judging from the smirk playing on the man's lips, he knew the truth just as well.

"Then have fun with your little game, Ginji," Ban allowed finally.

"...It's not a game either," Ginji whispered with a confused frown on his face as his lowered eyes flicked back and forth quickly as if he were trying to figure something out. He jumped when Akabane wrapped him up in a hug from behind and tensed, but Ban could tell he was comforted by the act, no matter how scared of the man he still obviously was. Ginji was just kidding himself and Akabane certainly didn't seem to mind him continuing his little act. Ban scoffed and lit up another cigarette as he turned away from the pair and walked back into the main area of the diner.

Ginji placed his forearms over Akabane's around his middle and leaned unconsciously back against him with a nervous sigh.

"I, uh..." the blonde began.

"Shh, Ginji-kun..." Akabane stopped him quietly. Ginji turned up to face him again.

"Akabane-san..." he whispered, not sure how personal he was comfortable with getting concerning the man.

"You're such a fun toy to play with...my favourite thus far..." Akabane murmured contentedly. "So much more than a simple plaything...you're very interesting, Ginji-kun."

Ginji gulped in fear and nodded in indulgent agreement.

"S-so...then...um..." he said awkwardly, a shiver running down his spine as he stared into Akabane's eyes, his own closed halfway in what he just _knew_ wasn't lust.

"Are you going to play nicely this time, Ginji-kun?" Akabane asked with a disconcerting grin as he stroked the underside of his partner's chin with his forefinger.

"H-hai?" Ginji nodded choppily.

"Good boy," Akabane smirked. "Then let's go have some fun together, hm?"

Ginji whimpered and began to tear up again.

"Yes, always so responsive," Akabane coaxed appreciatively, running his finger over Ginji's bottom lip and feeling his warm breath puff over it even through his glove. "Shall we go home?" he suggested.

Ginji began to nod before stopping short. Home. Not with Ban, but with Akabane. Home. Was his home there now? He nodded affirmatively.

"To...to h-home," he agreed. "Y-you won't-uhm..."

"Oh, I would never _dream_ of taking advantage of you, my sweet little Amano Ginji-kun," Akabane placated with that lascivious grin of his.

"R-right...good," Ginji nodded. "Just home and then...and then nothing...nothing _untoward_, right?" he asked, copying his and Ban's wording.

"Oh, of course, Ginji-kun. Nothing of the sort," Akabane nodded.

"By playing you mean...you mean board games or puzzles, right?" Ginji continued.

"Yes, definitely. Just games," Akabane agreed once more. He then took Ginji's hand in his own. "Shall we go now?" he offered. Ginji nodded, his expression worried at best by the underlying tone in Akabane's voice. He was led out of the diner, not noticing the shocked stares aimed at him and their linked hands on the way in favour of stressing over what Akabane really meant. They walked all the way home in such a fashion, the entire eight blocks, neither of them once making another sound besides Ginji's intermittent whimpers and soft sobs. The door was opened for him and he stepped fearfully inside, finally being released from Akabane's hold. The man stepped in behind him and his easiest route of escape was closed behind him.

Ginji watched apprehensively as his, he had to admit, partner began stripping off his outerwear, hanging it by the door meticulously before turning to Ginji and sliding his index fingers under the shoulders of his vest for him, gently pushing it down his limp arms for him and taking it to hang up as well. The man toed his own shoes off and kicked them to the tile in front of the door before getting down on one knee and untying Ginji's for him to step out of gingerly, placing them gently next to his own haphazardly placed ones before straightening the four items together. He slid his hands up Ginji's front, fingers catching on his clothes every so often, as he stood up again and looked the boy in the eye.

"Do you want to play with me?" he asked quietly. Ginji nodded hesitatingly. "What do you want to play, my dear Ginji-kun?"

"I want to play..." Ginji began before suddenly shooting forward and forcing the man down to shove their lips together. The kiss softened after a moment and he pulled back slowly, opening his eyes just barely before looking up at Akabane. "Cards," he answered suddenly, pushing the man away a little as the word came into his mind, knowing Akabane hadn't really meant what he said. "Can we play cards?"

Akabane giggled softly and smiled at him. "Yes, of course we can play cards."

When he got over his surprise at the agreement, Ginji grinned happily and barked out a laugh. "Really?" he exclaimed happily.

"Why, yes. Did you think I would refuse you?" Akabane inquired, his tone actually happy.

"W'll..._yeah_," Ginji admitted. They hadn't done much of anything really but sleep together since the beginning of their twisted relationship.

"Oh, Ginji-kun..." Akabane called his attention back to himself. He tipped the boy's chin up in his usual manner. "I could never deny that sweet demeanour anything," he told him calmly.

"O-oh..." Ginji said with a hypnotized nod. "Really, really?" he asked.

"Really, really," Akabane smiled in amusement, his head tipped slightly to the side. "My Ginji-kun deserves only the best, after all."

"_Your_ Ginji-kun..." the blonde repeated. "You keep saying that..."

"Are you not my Ginji-kun?" Akabane inquired, his smile fading.

"...Are you my Akabane-san?" Ginji returned. So did the smile.

"Of course, my Ginji-kun," the man nodded. Ginji returned the smile just barely.

"Then I guess so," he nodded as well. Akabane's smile widened and Ginji's disappeared as he blushed and looked away nervously. "Cards. Right. Finding cards," he said avoidantly and walked away in determination.

"Check the shelf in the bedroom," Akabane instructed as he walked into the living area and began to clear off the coffee table, turning the television on and changing it to something he knew would entertain the boy between turns. Ginji returned triumphantly and ran around the couch's end to slide on his knees to an excited halt across from his partner.

"What game shall we play?" Akabane smiled at him and sat cross-legged on the carpet.

"Do you know Go Fish?" Ginji questioned, copying him.

"Yes, I do," Akabane confirmed.

"Great! I'll shuffle, you deal," Ginji grinned and began said task. He was horrible at it and obviously unpracticed, but got the job done well enough. He straightened the messy cards and handed them over.

"You're very highly entertaining," Akabane commented. Ginji blushed and looked away toward the picture box with its volume turned up just barely loud enough to hear without impeding conversation.

"Thank you," he said quietly, knowing it was one of the highest compliments the man ever gave.

"You're welcome," Akabane replied contentedly as he passed out the hands.

"I like you, too," Ginji offered in return.

"Thank you," Akabane copied.

"You're welcome," Ginji whispered softly with a blush spreading over his cheeks.

"Do you have any eights?" Akabane asked. Ginji remembered he was supposed to be playing and picked up his cards.

"Go fish," he replied. Akabane smiled and did so. He placed the card in his hand before placing his elbow on the wooden table and leaning his chin on his fist, watching Ginji much too intently for comfort coming from anyone else. But this was Akabane, and this was what he did. Ginji smiled delicately and took his turn.

The next morning, Ginji pranced quite cheerfully into the Honky Tonk to meet up with his partner. He found him sitting grumpily over his untouched coffee that Paul had just set down for him.

"Hey, Ban-chan!" Ginji chirped as he took a seat next to his friend and was granted a mug of the brown liquid as well. "Guess what me and Akabane-san did all night!"

"God, _please_ don't tell me. I don't want to know," Ban groaned unhappily, still upset that the relationship was even going on.

"We played cards! It was really fun!" Ginji exclaimed, bouncing in his seat before taking a sloshing sip of his coffee, unable to sit still.

"You _what?_" Ban asked in shock, his eyebrow quirked and his head finally lifting from the counter.

"Yeah! First I chose Go Fish, and then he chose Crazy 8s-"

"-_Pff_, he _would_-"

"-and then Old Maid and then some other stuff I can't remember...oh, right! Kings in the Corners! And Double Solitaire! And Rummy! And...and some more. I kinda fell asleep like six hours in..." Ginji said, a bit embarrassed. Kids fell asleep. Adults stayed up all night.

"Right. You and Akabane?" Ban asked flatly, trying not to be amused or in any way positive about the relationship.

"Yeah! Who else?" Ginji asked. Ban looked away with flat-topped eyes and shrugged.

"Just about anyone," he replied. Ginji stuck his bottom lip out at him.

"You know, he's kinda nice once you get to know him..." His expression brightened and he smiled widely. "Maybe Akabane-san and Ban-chan could hang out sometime!"

"Don't hold your breath," Ban huffed.

"Aww, Ban-chan...it would make me happy..." Ginji pouted.

"No. You really want him to end up dead that badly?" Ban questioned gruffly. Ginji stopped short and his smile faded.

"...No, I guess not..." he gave in. "But he _is_ nice to me."

"Yeah, wait till you do something he doesn't like," Ban scoffed.

Ginji fell silent and thought about that for a moment before his smile returned. "Then he would try to kill me and cheer up again! See? Problem solved!" Ginji reasoned. Ban stared at him flatly for a moment before sighing and shaking his head.

"Love really _is_ a disease, isn't it, Master?" Ban called over to Paul.

"You can say that again," the man chuffed.

"Aww, you too, Paul-san?" Ginji complained.

"There's a reason the air around that guy radiates coldness," Paul said seriously.

"Not for me, it doesn't," Ginji smiled. "Not anymore anyways."

"...I see," Paul acquiesced.

There was a lull in the conversation in which Ginji downed his coffee.

"By the way, Ban-chan," he began again when he finished and set the mug down on the counter again. "I told Akabane-san he could be a Retriever with us!"

"_You WHAT?_" Ban screamed at him and was about to punch him right in the head when Ginji ducked.

"Well, he only said maybe, if it was okay with you!" Ginji amended. Ban hit him a bit lighter than he'd intended before and sat back in his seat stiffly.

"No," he stated outright.

"But Ban-chan-!"

"No," the man repeated. "No way in hell."

"But he's really changed since we met him!" Ginji persisted.

"I said no, Ginji," Ban told him again. "It's not happening."

"But-!"

"We're not splitting the money three ways! We can't keep anything as it is!" Ban snapped at his partner. Ginji settled down a little.

"Oh," he said simply. "So it's not because you hate him?" he asked.

"...If I say no, will you leave it alone?" Ban queried.

"Maybe," Ginji answered noncommittally.

"...No," Ban said.

"But-!"

"_Goddamnit_, _NO!_" Ban barked and hit him again.

"Itai yo!" Ginji whined and held his head, eyes welling up and face reddening.

"_Please_, it wasn't even that hard," Ban dismissed and took another sip of his coffee.

"...Maybe he could help us..." Ginji put forth. Ban looked over at him condescendingly. "Because we're so unlucky with money. I'm pretty sure he's rich, y'know?"

That changed Ban's demeanour entirely.

"..._How_ rich?" he asked with a greedy hint to his tone. Ginji wondered whether he should have mentioned it at all.

"Well, he has his own apartment. And a TV. And they're really nice. And he has lots of those expensive leather books. And, like, little gold things and whatever on his shelves," Ginji shrugged. Ban scoffed and turned back to his coffee.

"Baaa-ka. That's not rich. That's average," Ban brushed off immediately.

"Well...it's richer than us...and he does a lot less jobs than us..." Ginji pushed. "Maybe he could help us learn how to hang onto the money we make..."

Ban snorted. "Doubtful. He already took _you_, he'd probably take that for himself too."

"He didn't take me!" Ginji objected boldly. "I'm right here!"

"Yeah? And where were you last night again?" Ban questioned sarcastically.

"...At home..." Ginji admitted softly. Ban stopped short with his coffee mug midway to his lips.

"Excuse me?" he asked, wide-eyed.

"At home," Ginji repeated, trying to seem casual. "I _guess_."

"Oh, so now you're moving in with him?" Ban cried out angrily.

"Well, only because I have a real bed there instead of a seat in a car! It's not anything personal! I swear!" Ginji tried to convince him, but he wasn't fooling himself, let alone Ban and his ever-speculative deductive skills.

"...You love him," Ban said as if it were an insult. "_God_, I can't believe you love him."

"I don't!" Ginji tried again.

"Shut up and just admit it. You're not kidding anyone," Ban ground out.

"But-!..." Ginji began, but snapped his mouth shut. "Okay, maybe, but-"

"Ah-HAH!" Ban shouted and got up on his knee on his barstool. "So you admit it!"

"I just _said_ I did, but it's not-"

"No. It's exactly that. You love him. You're _in_ love with him," Ban growled. "And what about _me?_"

"Wh-what about you?" Ginji asked with wide eyes as he leaned back away from Ban's accusing finger.

"What about _us?_ Our _team?_ You gonna break up the GetBackers and go off with that bastard?" Ban shouted.

"Why would I do that, Ban-chan?" Ginji asked in a tiny voice. "I just said I wanted Akabane to join us, not that I wanted to join him..."

Ban stopped and considered this for a moment.

"So you're not leaving?" he asked.

"_No,_" Ginji insisted again.

"You sure?" Ban asked.

"_Yes_," Ginji stressed.

"You sure you're sure?" Ban continued, a tiny quirk of his lips telling Ginji that he'd finished being upset. The blonde grinned brightly and giggled.

"Sure I'm sure!" he replied cheerfully.

"Sure you're sure you're sure?" Ban continued, full-on grinning with his cig between his teeth now.

"Sure I'm sure I'm sure!" Ginji giggled hard.

They got to sixteen sures before Paul kicked them literally to the curb. Ginji landed sitting sideways between Ban's legs and just tipped himself backwards across his thighs to lay on the sun-warmed sidewalk.

"I'm glad you're not mad at me, Ban-chan..." he sighed contentedly. Truth be told, Ban had forgotten the topic of their argument entirely by the eighth sure and it all came rushing back right then. He looked down from where he was propping himself up on arms with straight elbows extended slightly behind him.

"Yeah, well, enjoy it while it lasts..." Ban muttered around an unlit cig. "Just wait till I see that bastard in person again."

"_Ban-chan_..." Ginji whined, but with an underlying warning. Ban sighed heavily and dropped his arms into has lap limply, lighter clacking on the cement. "You have to be nice to him, okay? No fighting with Akabane-san?" He said in his little kid voice.

"_Fine_. But only so long as he doesn't piss me off," Ban agreed with a huff and an angry expression as he puffed his smoke out in a little ball.

Knowing that was the best he would get, Ginji looked up at his partner from where he had his hands folded under his head, and smiled softly at him down his nose.

"If I could learn to like him, you can, Ban-chan," Ginji assured his friend. Ban chuffed and flicked his ashes onto Ginji's arm.

"Snowball in hell, Ginji," Ban said flatly as his partner scrambled to get the burning powder off his skin, ending up blowing on it to cool the tiny spot of red flesh down a little.

"That was _mean_, Ban-chan," Ginji whined lowly.

"Kore wa, kore wa...what do we have here? Midou Ban-kun and Amano Ginji-kun making the outdoors their home? How quaint," came a smooth voice from above as a shadow fell over them. Ban shivered at the cold trickle that ran down his spine, but Ginji just grinned and held his gloved hand up to be grasped by another. He was lifted easily by the one limb off his partner and pulled just a little off balance as soon as he righted himself so he fell against Akabane's warm coat, the buttons pressing into his skin and reminding him of the polished rocks on the beach when Ban and he went.

"Hi, Akabane-san..." the boy blushed, looking down shyly, but his tone was cheery. "We got kicked out by Master..."

"I see..." Akabane said as he looked up at the establishment, his smile fading. "That's too bad. I was hoping for a drink."

"W-we can go somewhere else!" Ginji offered instantly, not wanting the man to get upset and go on some sort of spree, mostly likely of the genocidal sort. The blonde saw Ban stand up and brush himself off with a mildly annoyed look on his face. "Ban-chan wants to come with us, right Ban-chan?"

Ban looked at Ginji through his glasses. He could have strangled him. Now he would be the bad guy if he left the kid with the monster willingly.

"Fine. Where to?" he asked, a bite to his low tone.

Suddenly the door opened, ringing the bell overhead, and Paul stuck his head out the door.

"_Paying_ customers can come inside. If _they _don't talk. Ever," the man said completely seriously.

"Mochi, mochi, Master...though I cannot speak for these two..." Akabane accepted, nodding at the boys and tipping his hat.

"We'll be good, Master! Please, just let us come back inside!" Ginji begged desperately, wanting to go in with his new friend.

"Only on the condition that your next commission goes toward your tab," Paul agreed. Ginji nodded hastily and Ban conked him upside the head for it, and Ginji simply covered the spot with his hand and ignored him in favour of making doe eyes at Paul. "Right, then. I'll allow you in."

Minutes later there was a slice of cherry pie in front of Ban he was steadfastly refusing to eat on account of the fact that it was paid for with blood-money.

"Say _ahhh_, Ginji-kun," Akabane grinned and held up a bite of his own dessert.

"Ahhhh-mm!" Ginji obeyed and closed his mouth around the proffered morsel. Ban could barely stand how sickening the sight was.

Akabane tittered. "You're such a fun toy to play with, Ginji-kun..." he said in that ultra-smooth self-satisfied voice of his.

"You guys make me sick..." Ban muttered under his breath.

"Aww, be nice, Ban-chan!" Ginji complained as he wiped his mouth on his wrist.

"I'll play nice when he does," the spiky-haired man chuffed childishly.

"All he said was that I was fun..." Ginji whined with a little mouth.

"He called you a toy," Ban countered.

"That's just how Akabane-san talks. Right, Akabane-san?" Ginji asked, suddenly unsure of himself.

"_Hai, Ginji-kun_," Akabane confirmed before sliding a small bit of pie between his own lips and pulling the spoon slowly from the corner of his mouth as he watched the exchange between the two partners in interest.

"_Ugh_," Ban carped and looked away in disgust.

"_Ban-chaaan_," Ginji whined, "Why are you so mean?"

"Right. _I'm_ the mean one here," Ban scoffed, cheek on his fist as he leaned over the counter on his elbow.


	2. It's okay, we have chocolate

_"Akabane-san..."_

From a single flick of his eyes, Kagami Kyouji knew something was wrong with Kuroudo. The shards spinning around them from his Glass Tornado attack stopped.

"Ginji-kun," Kuroudo said almost silently, his eyes going from amused to absolutely murderous in less than a split second. Kyouji nodded once and they were ready, forces joined. Forget the job, the fun had been had and now it was serious.

Scalpels and glass pieces were collected in mere seconds and they were off to the wide open field only half a mile from their forest area where Ginji was fighting Hishiki Ryuudou's Amazonian sister. She was, if anything, larger and stronger than her brother. They were halfway there when they passed the area in which Ban was fighting his own enemy, a cousin of Magami Ayame. The boy gave them a glance and almost took a hit for it.

Ignoring him, Akabane continued on his way until he caught sight of Ginji; his throat was being crushed as he was held up in the sky, unable to get away. The woman's clothes were nearly burnt off, but her skin showed no signs of damage beyond a couple of bruised cuts.

"Ginji," Akabane breathed as he instantly released his knives and shot them towards the woman. He saw Kyouji's mirrors flood the air between them. He'd known this enemy was going to need long-range attacks, but he hadn't been aware she was immune to electrical bursts. She should have been no problem for Ginji.

"A-kabane-san..." Ginji choked as he opened his bloodshot eyes to see his friend rushing towards him. He saw Kagami as well, but had no energy to feel any panic. That had run out minutes ago when he was caught in the same position Hishiki had had him in so long ago, only minus the storm this time. He should have known that just because he'd beaten her brother, that didn't mean he could defeat her alone now.

With Akabane's Bloody Rain and Kagami's Glass Tornado, two of their most powerful long-range attacks, the woman's skin was flayed from her body within seconds and her internal organs ripped to shreds. She fell heavily, forgetting Ginji was in her grasp, and splatted onto the ground in a gruesome heap. Akabane shot forward, grabbing Ginji from her hand before she could land on him, and stopped bout twelve meters away, just past the droplets of blood spattered over the grasses.

"Ginji-kun..." he whispered, brushing the blonde's bangs back from his sweaty, bloody forehead.

"Hey, Akabane-san..." Ginji replied, his voice halfway cut out by the scratchiness in his throat.

"Can you sense any electricity nearby?" Akabane asked, getting right down to business. No time for pleasantries. Ginji nodded weakly and was just barely able to lift his arm to point to the northeast.

"Three miles..." he struggled to get out. "Generator."

"Kyouji-kun," Akabane said, not turning to the man. "You may as well go play with Midou-kun's partner."

"I'll go with you, if you don't mind," the Observer turned down.

"Very well," Akabane nodded and scooped up his toy before starting off his sprint to the healing source for him.

"Akabane-san," Ginji began. "Do you think I'll make it?"

"Of course you will," Akabane replied instantly.

"Akabane-san..." the blonde started again. "You know I love you, right?"

"Yes, I do. As I love you. Now stop speaking," Akabane ordered. They were only halfway to the generator and Ginji's life force was fading quickly. The blonde's eyes closed as he nodded slowly and his head fell back, mimicking his consciousness.

"I'd hurry if I were you," Kagami said from beside Akabane, veritably floating alongside him, though visibly having to concentrate on keeping up with the man. Akabane didn't reply to him, simply left him behind, not caring if he ran out of energy if he could just get there before he did. The wind gusting past his ears was the only sound he heard the rest of the trip and he gently laid his Ginji on the ground next to the metal box when he got there.

He used his Bloody Sword to smash the thing open and attached his scalpels in a line to its energy source, leading them down, without touching them, to Ginji's heart. The second they connected, Ginji's entire body jerked off the ground and began glowing with the brute strength of the electricity. His hands slowly rose to grasp at the knives just above his chest, trying to draw extra energy from them with more skin contact. They cut into his hands and a small stream of blood trickled down them to puddle in the middle of his already bloodstained chest.

Suddenly the generator ran out of energy and Ginji was left a panting mess in the dirt, his arms flopping to the ground hard.

"I feel a lot better," he said breathily as he looked at Akabane with only his eyes. His cheeks were bright pink, so the man could tell as the glow faded from his skin.

"I'm very glad," Akabane replied. He noticed finally that Kagami's presence had disappeared from the vicinity. He must have gotten bored after the first few minutes of the same thing happening. "Hello, Midou Ban-kun," he greeted as two feet landed roughly behind him. They rushed forward and knees dropped in front of them as Ban lowered himself to Ginji's side, not touching his electrically charged partner's body.

"How ya doin', Ginji?" the brunette inquired softly.

"Ban-chan...I don't feel good at all..." Ginji complained. The electricity had burnt his wounds shut, but he'd obviously lost a lot of blood. The pinkness had faded from his face and his skin was rapidly paling. He tried to push himself up on his arms, but found that his elbows just wouldn't stay straight or stop shaking, and so laid back down as softly as he could, thumping rather hard onto the ground again on his side. "And I can't stand up..." he whined as tears welled up in his eyes. "Not good at all..."

They got him to Akabane's apartment, Ban stepping inside for the first time ever. Akabane carried Ginji inside and set him down on the floor next to the outlet. He slid a scalpel out of his arm and pressed it into the boy's hands.

"Slow, Ginji-kun..." he warned. "Don't blow a fuse."

"Hai, Akabane-san..." Ginji said tiredly and pushed the metal into the outlet, stealing only a few dozen volts at a time. It would take all night just to be able to stand up again, but what the man warned was true. It would be no use to go any faster.

"You guys good then?" Ban asked, hands in his pockets and obviously uncomfortable.

"Ban-chan can stay, right, Akabane-san?" Ginji asked pathetically.

"Mochi, mochi, Ginji-kun...if he plays nicely," Akabane agreed, his eyes flashing threateningly at the young man. He couldn't help but be defensive with his Ginji hurt so badly.

"Ch. He's safer with me than you," Ban scoffed. "I'm not the one filled to the brim with metal."

"And I am not the one who can break a neck with one hand or trick someone into anything they wish," Akabane shot back, though his tone was even and smooth. Ban glared at him and took a menacing step forward.

"Maa maa, futaritomo..." Ginji calmed weakly.

"Ff...whatever. I'm going out for a smoke," Ban announced as he pulled his carton out and walked to the door. By the time he came back inside, Ginji had his head in Akabane's lap and was being fed water from a small glass, somehow without electrocuting the man, his hand lowered to the floor and connected with a chain of scalpels to the outlet, stuck together magnetically like the ones at the generator.

"Doumo," Akabane greeted him, his hat on the floor next to him, on top of his crumpled coat and gloves, his shoes tossed behind him. Ban raised his eyebrow. The man didn't seem the sort to toss things around. He was always so meticulous and precise with everything else.

"Hey," Ban nodded. "He doing better?"

"Perhaps..." Akabane murmured, looking down at Ginji and taking the cup away from him as the blonde's eyes closed. "It is sometimes hard to tell with Ginji-kuns..."

"...Right," Ban said under his breath and went to sit on the couch, satisfied well enough that Ginji wasn't in any immediate danger at that point. "Do you actually like him at all, or is this just a game for you? Playing with your little toy," he questioned rudely.

"Is there a difference between the two?" Akabane inquired.

"_Yes_," Ban answered firmly.

"...Then I suppose I must like him," Akabane sighed. "Though he is very fun to play with. He makes for a very interesting toy." The man almost seemed to be saying it just to make Ban mad. It was working.

"You're sick, you know that?" Ban sneered.

"Very well, I must admit," Akabane smiled before flashing his eyes at the boy. "And I would like to remind you whose home you are currently inside."

"Ginji's," Ban shot back.

"Play nice, Midou Ban. I am not in the mood for games," Akabane said, suddenly seeming like a barely contained explosion. Ban stared at him calculatingly for a moment before looking down and pushing his glasses up.

"This is getting to you," he said. "You realize he was almost as bad off as this when he fought you, right?"

"He walked away from every one of our battles," Akabane objected. "And without the help of a generator."

"Still, he's been this bad a dozen times. He's going to make it," Ban said, unsure as to why he was trying to comfort the man he saw as his enemy.

"...That's yet to be seen," Akabane said quietly, looking back down at the boy.

"...What d'you mean?" Ban asked apprehensively.

"As a former medic...I would say the extent of internal damage is horrifying. It's only by a miracle he's breathing using those lungs. Three of his ribs and his collar bones are both snapped. His left arm is cracked, as is one of his upper legs, and his heartbeat is both irregular and twice normal," Akabane listed, causing Ban's breath to catch in his throat. "And that's on top of the blood loss and concussion."

"But he doesn't seem any worse than usual...he was just talking to us," Ban said, forgetting his rivalry with the man.

"Yes, he is quite energetic, isn't he..." Akabane agreed. Ban noticed the man's far hand on his partner's arm, the thumb slowly rubbing up and down the skin. Akabane inhaled suddenly and turned to Ban. "I would appreciate you bringing your dear friend something to lay on from the room just through the door to my back. There's a closet inside."

Ban nodded somberly and pushed his folded arms up from the couch's arm rest, acquiescing easily to the request as his anger with the man faded. He was actually starting to believe him when he said he liked his friend, however surreal the notion seemed.

In the closet were a few boxes, some tattered military clothes and medical cases that looked as if they were years old, and quite a few extra blankets. He pulled out three of them and shut the door with his foot, carrying them back out. He dumped them on the floor and unfolded them just enough so that Ginji would fit on them, wanting to keep them as fluffy as possible for him. He allowed Akabane to gingerly lift the boy so he could slide them under him, and set him back down just as carefully. The tenderness with which he did it seemed almost supernatural compared to his usual ways.

"So assuming you _do_ actually love him..." Ban started. Akabane looked up at him from where he was sitting on Ginji's other side. "Assuming that, what exactly are you planning?"

"I don't understand what you mean," Akabane replied.

"Am I seeing a few escapades, maybe a few months? Or should I be expecting years of you?" Ban asked. Akabane looked down at the boy he called his own and considered the question.

"...I suppose until he tires of me..." he answered quietly.

"Ginji doesn't _get_ tired of people," Ban countered condescendingly.

"He has a record of leaving his friends behind. I don't expect any special treatment," Akabane countered.

"He only did that because he would have died otherwise, and so would they have," Ban argued, his anger returning as he saw how little faith the man had in his friend.

"And you don't believe I endanger his life?" Akabane countered. "There's a reason I do not associate with people on anything more than a professional level, Midou Ban," he said ominously.

"...And just what do you do to them? Get tired of your so-called friends and get rid of them?" Ban accused, seething at the man.

"No...they just seem to meet with...unsavory endings. I gave up on human interaction long ago because of this," Akabane told him softly. "Those who deserve life are killed by those who don't, and many of those who don't are the only ones who live. This is just the way the world works," he said. "Though I do my best to even the playing field."

"That's not how it is at all," Ban said, almost pitying the man. "Ginji's alive, isn't he?"

"So are you and I," Akabane countered easily, looking up at Ban through his lashes. The boy snapped his mouth shut and ground his jaw.

"Point taken," he submitted.

"My point is..." Akabane returned to the subject. "I'll stay as long as he will."

"So then...years," Ban summed up.

"If that's what he wishes," Akabane confirmed.

"..._Great_," Ban sighed, thumping his chin down in his hand, elbow resting on his knee. "I thought maybe I could be done with you in a few weeks," Ban sighed.

"...You realize this has been going on for months, right?" Akabane inquired curiously.

"Excuse me?" Ban asked, eyes wide a he lifted his head to stare at the man. "How many exactly?"

"Only two and a half, but a matter of weeks was unlikely in the first place," Akabane replied. "I'm expecting at least a year or two before I come too close to getting him killed for him to stay."

"So if it _does_ last longer than that...if he doesn't give up on you..." Ban trailed off.

"I'm not going to leave him out of my own free will, Midou Ban," Akabane repeated himself. "He's far too entertaining for that." He earned himself another glare for that.

"_Right_. I'm not falling for that cavalier attitude of yours anymore," Ban dismissed.

"Do what you want," Akabane allowed easily. "A toy is a toy. I just happen to find them more..._essential _than some."

"Forget it. I know now. You call him a toy. What you mean is a friend. You freak," Ban scoffed. "You couldn't act like a real human if your life depended on it, could you."

"It's not lucrative to act as though you are something you are not," Akabane replied, reaching out to press lightly on Ginji's shoulder. "His collar bone is beginning to heal," he informed Ban.

"Good," Ban said gruffly. "In that case, I think I'll go out and get something to eat," he continued and pushed himself off the floor.

"I have a kitchen, you know. I trust your tastes are similar to your partner's?" Akabane asked.

"Did he make you buy three dozen candy bars for him?" Ban debated with a doubtful eyebrow.

"No. One of every sushi platter he could get his hands on," Akabane replied. "Three sashimi..." But Ban was already raiding his refrigerator. The boy came back and thumped down with an entire platter in hand. He held it out for the man in offering. Akabane took the nearest one.

"He's going to be upset we ate without him," Akabane said absently.

"There are seven more in there," Ban scoffed. "I can't believe you fell for him that hard."

"As I've said before, he is _very_ interesting," Akabane said again.

"I have a feeling I don't want to know what you mean by that," Ban said, a bit sickened, but not so much so that he couldn't stuff another sushi down his gullet. He was surprised when Akabane flashed him an amused smile.

"I doubt you would," he said, almost seeming like he was teasing the boy, and not in a provocative way.

"I'm going to pretend you meant he's fun to play cards with," Ban muttered.

"Yes, let's say that," Akabane agreed, still cheered. He took another piece of sushi.

"I heard about that by the way. I can't believe that was all it took to make him quit faking like he was still afraid of you," Ban said with a roll of his eyes.

"Yes, it did seem to cheer him up. Though I have to admit, he was quite entertaining when he played that game." He refrained from mentioning that it was still quite a popular one with the boy. After all, he and Ban were off to such a good friendship at the moment.

"...You know, he seems happier now, with you," Ban mentioned offhandedly.

"That is nice to hear, especially from one such as the great Midou Ban-sama," Akabane joked. Ban shot him a wry look, though there was a bit of a smile quirking his lip up.

"Yeah, well, I have my moments," Ban said and stretched his arms out smugly, palms out and fingers interlaced.

"Mm..." Akabane agreed softly, looking back down at Ginji. That look Ban now recognized as worried fell over his visage again.

"Like I said, he's gonna be fine. He always is," Ban reassured the man.

"Mm," Akabane repeated, not seeming to really hear him.

Eight hours later, Ban woke on the couch to quiet voices. They seemed cheerful.

"Aaaaa-mm!" he heard, the distinctive sound of Ginji being fed something he was so accustomed to now. He pushed himself up, turning over so he could peek over the arm rest unnoticed and spy on the two. Ginji was sitting up on the blankets near where his head had been, still holding onto the scalpel chain, while Akabane sat where his feet had been the night before. There was another one of the sushi platters between them and Akabane was happily hand-feeding his living doll not unlike little girls do with their plastic babies that are sold with their own little plastic bottles. He noticed Ginji never tried to feed him back, probably for fear of having his fingers bitten off. Besides, dolls don't feed little girls. At some point, most of his clothes had come off, leaving him in his t-shirt and boxers only, though he was now wrapped in one of the blankets.

"Oh, hi, Ban-chan!" Ginji exclaimed, waving hyperactively as he looked over and noticed his partner watching them and thinking nothing of it. "Come get some breakfast!"

"Ch. Sushi for breakfast. You really were born in a barn," Ban scoffed, but walked over anyway.

Ginji ignored him. "Akabane said I'm not as broken as I was!"

"I knew you were fine all along. You're just lazy is all," Ban dismissed as he thumped down beside the two next to the platter and picked up a piece, eating it uncharacteristically slowly. There actually was more where that came from after all. Ginji started to pout, but was distracted by another bite nearing his mouth and _aaaa_'d again before closing his teeth happily around it.

"I'm having fun playing with my Ginji-kun again," Akabane said to the blonde with a cheery smile.

"Me, too!" Ginji agreed enthusiastically. "'Nother one?"

"Hai, Ginji-kun," Akabane agreed and gave him another piece of sushi.

"You guys are sickening..." Ban muttered under his breath.

"Aww...don't be jealous, Ban-chan!" Ginji teased.

"Yeah, he's feeling better," Ban sighed.

"Akabane-san says I'm not allowed to walk yet though. I tried anyway. I fell," Ginji went on, ignoring him. "So I guess I should have listened."

"Surprisingly enough, yeah, you should have listened to the freak," Ban sighed.

"Ban-chan, dameru!" Ginji protested with a frown.

"What? I was agreeing with him!" Ban shot back innocently. Ginji frowned, but didn't object again.

"Anyways, I think I'll be better in a couple days," he said casually, accepting another bite, this time without the sound effects.

"Wait, a couple _days?_" Ban asked a bit rattled.

"Yeah. I guess I shouldn't have taken her on on my ow-"

"Ginji, what the hell did she _do?_" Ban exclaimed, staggered by the revelation.

"Nothing her bro didn't do. Just...more of it," Ginji shrugged avoidantly. "But like I was saying, I'm gonna be fine in a few days, so-"

"Oh, so now it's a few?" Ban shouted.

"Ban-chan, it wasn't-"

"No! You should have called me before it got this far!" Ban yelled at him, getting up on his knee to tower over him dominantly.

"Well, I thought I could handle it was all-"

"You _idiot!_" Ban growled. "I thought this was just another recovery, but Akabane was right, wasn't he! You barely made it!"

"But I'm doing okay now, so-"

"Just shut up..." Ban said, collapsing back down into his cross-legged position on the floor and angrily stuffing a sushi into his mouth. "You know, you should have called out to me."

"I know, Ban-chan..." Ginji said, ashamed of himself. "I just...I mean, I beat Hishiki, I just...I thought if I could beat him, I could beat her...but I guess...I guess it wasn't really me that beat him anyway, was it...it was the storm..."

"No-...it was you, but...yeah, it was mostly luck," Ban sighed. "Face it, the whole family is a bunch of circus freaks."

"You can say that again," Ginji puffed, eyes widening a little before he turned and smiled at Ban. "I guess it was kinda stupid to think I could beat her just because she was related to him."

"Yeah. It was," Ban agreed flatly. "Now eat something and ge-hh," he paused as Akabane stood suddenly and watched him walk into the bedroom and almost slam the door behind him.

"_Someone's_ pissed..." Ban gibed and picked up another piece of sushi off the half-empty platter.

"Ban-chan, can you go see what's wrong?" Ginji asked in his best innocent voice.

"Iie," Ban shot down immediately.

"But...I can't leave the electricity...and I can't walk anyway..." he went on. "Please?"

Ban huffed and put the sushi back down rather roughly, pushing himself up and wiping his hand on his pants.

"_Fine_, but only because of you. I don't give a damn about _him_," Ban agreed sharply. He crossed the room and paused, exhaling his anger before opening the door and silently stepping in. Akabane was standing there facing the end of the bed with his forehead in his fingers, looking completely blank and yet somehow upset.

"Hey-"

"It was my fault," Akabane said suddenly.

"What?" Ban asked, eyebrow raised.

"It's my fault he's in this state. I should have known that little bitch would be too much for him. He's told me the story of Hishiki before," the man forced out, dropping his hand from his forehead to walk aimlessly across the room and back, stopping again, turning on his heel, and sitting on the bed hard.

"Listen, it's just as much my fault as yours-"

"No, it _isn't!_ At least you were fighting an actual opponent. Kyouji-kun and I are sparring partners. We were just having fun, while Ginji-kun was off getting killed," he hissed, running his hands through his hair and leaving his head drooped after.

"Ginji can take care of himself. He's a big boy," Ban dismissed.

"Obviously he is _not_," Kuroudo returned shortly.

"He called you, right?" Ban asked.

"Yes."

"And you went?"

"Of course," Akabane sighed.

"Then what else were you supposed to do? You can't tell him what he can do and what he can't. He knows what he can handle and when he needs to call for help. He's a big boy," Ban repeated. Akabane sighed and looked away. "You can't fight all his battles for him."

"Six more seconds and he was dead," Akabane said quietly.

"He was less than one away from Raitei in Mugenjou," Ban countered. Akabane shot him a look before sighing down at the floor.

"Raitei isn't dead."

"It's as good as," Ban argued. "He's _not_ Ginji."

Akabane's face went blank. He stood up and stalked out of the room, leaving the door open, and walked straight over to Ginji where he dropped between him and the wall. He took Ginji's chin in his fingertips and turned him to face him. Leaning forward, he pressed an inordinately soft kiss to his lips that Ban watched silently from the background. He stayed until Ginji's wide eyes slipped closed and he relaxed before pulling away just barely.

"Ginji-kun, Ginji-kun..." he murmured. "I love you and I am sorry," he whispered, and with that he stood up again, stepped into his shoes, swept up his jacket and hat, and walked swiftly out the door.

"Wh-wha..." Ginji breathed, at a loss for words. He turned around and caught sight of Ban. "_What did you say to him?_" he demanded angrily.

"Nothing!" Ban insisted. "I just told him it wasn't _his _fault you almost _died!_"

"..._Ban-chan!_" the blonde screamed. "BAAAA-KA!"

"Oh, pshh. He'll be back soon enough," Ban waved of. "I think."

"_Ban-chaaan..._" Ginji snarled. "If I could stand up..."

"But you can't! So ha!" Ban teased and dashed over, grabbing a sushi and darting away before Ginji could grab him. He laughed the whole thing off and went to the television, flipping it on and settling back on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table.

Ginji sat there seething at his partner and shoving sushi into his mouth for a half hour until the door opened again and Akabane stepped in with a wide grin and two of the largest gift baskets Ban had ever seen. And then he saw the bouquet of flowers. He got over his shock quickly and his disgust at the couple returned tenfold.

"Waaaah, Akabane-san!" Ginji cried out quickly, eyes closed and mouth smiling openly. "You came back to me!"

"Did you ever think I would not?" Akabane smiled and shut the door with his foot before toeing his shoes off. He walked over and set the gifts down where Ginji could reach them before taking off his outerwear and hanging it up neatly, moving his shoes nicely into their proper spots, and walking back over to Ginji, who was eagerly spreading out the wrinkles in the red and pink plastic shrinkwrap covering the baskets with his free hand so he could see what was inside.

"Would you like me to open them for you, my Ginji-kun?" Akabane asked cheerfully. Ginji nodded vigourously and watched in bouncy excitement as the wrappers came off to reveal dozens of get-well gifts, including a chocolate bar at least a foot wide and twice as long. He teared up instantly and brought his fist to his mouth.

"I think...I think I died and went to heaven..." the blonde cried, completely overwhelmed.

"I think you're sleeping with a rich freak chock full of guilt issues," Ban grumbled under his breath, slouching low on the couch with his chin on his loosely fisted hand as he stared pointedly at the TV while paying his full attention to the pair.

"Be nice, Ban-chan..." Ginji warned. "Or you can't have any."

Instant attitude change.

"Oh, what a nice thing of Akabane-san to do for you, Ginji-kun!" Ban said in his most accommodating voice as he popped over to the baskets and grabbed the largest chocolate bar. That is, until an iron grip latched onto his wrist and he followed it up to find the most deadly eyes he'd ever seen on said man. "Eh-heh..." he whimpered and let go.

"Here, Ban-chan! You can have this one!" Ginji said cheerfully and handed him a normal-sized, if not slightly smaller, candy. His eyes hardened just as much as Akabane's, perhaps more. "And if you touch that one again, I'm going to shock you into next week."

A shiver went down Ban's spine at the sight of the combined stares and he timidly took the proffered bar from Ginji's fingers and backed away to the couch, facing them guardedly the entire time. As if by magic, the twin expressions faded into two identical smiles as they turned toward each other. Ban shuddered again. They really were a perfect match, at least where food was involved. Perfectly _terrifying_.

A short while later found Ginji sitting in the same exact spot, Akabane leaning against the wall beside him slightly to the back, Ban sitting on the floor opposite him, and the television pulled over in front of them all.

"Ginji-kun...are you still feeling all right?' Akabane inquired, sucking the spit off his heart-shaped lollie as he slid it out of his mouth.

"Uh-huh!" the blonde replied cheerily around his own pop. He was faking, but the man let it go and went back to watching the cartoons obviously aimed at children with him. Ban sighed and flopped back onto the floor with his arms and legs crossed.

"This is boring. At least watch something interesting," he complained.

"This _is_ interesting," Ginji replied, again around his candy. It hurt to lift his arm to pull it out of his mouth. "I'm learning how to play nice with others. You should pay attention, Ban-chan."

"Shut up," Ban sighed and closed his eyes before sitting up again testily. "If you're going to keep watching this, I'm going to Paul's."

"_Aww, Ban-chan!_" Ginji whined, finally popping the lollie out from between his lips as he turned to face his best friend. "I'll change it! Here, you can have the clicker!"

Ban took it triumphantly and smirked before flipping the channel to at least something aimed at teenagers. He'd seen Ginji watching this show as well in shop windows and knew he liked it just as much, if not more, than the one they'd been watching for the past hour and a half.

Ginji grinned and _ooh_'ed but didn't bounce or clap like he usually would have. He did, however, lean back into Akabane's chest when the man snuck up behind him, one leg on either side of his, and wrapped his arms around his chest. Akabane set his chin on Ginji's spiky, blood-matted head and exhaled deeply.

"Kore wa, kore wa...such little boys you both are," he sighed, though the only person he aimed to insult was obviously Ban.

"Hey! I was leader of the toughest gang in all of Shinjuku!" Ginji objected heartily.

"Yes, you were," Akabane agreed. "And now you are watching very strange television shows."

"They're not strange! They're good!" Ginji protested.

"Mochi, mochi..." the man placated.

"Why? What kind of shows do _you_ watch?" the blonde asked, tipping his head up to see the man who was completely out of his sight line.

"I'm not sure...the television came with the apartment..." Akabane replied.

"Wait, so you have this thing and you don't even _use_ it?" Ban questioned accusingly.

"No...not really...sometimes I turn it on to block out noises...but that's really the extent of it..." Akabane sighed. He seemed tired. This assumption was proven by the fact that he then pulled back and yawned before rubbing his forehead against Ginji's hair and stilling. "Your blood only smells good when it's fresh..." he said, sending a chill down Ginji's spine. "You should wash up."

"I think I should," Ginji agreed shakily and pushed Akabane's arms off him as he sat forward.

"You should take that trip to your little diner, Midou Ban-kun," Akabane declared as he pushed himself up off the floor. Ban sneered at him, but did the same.

"I'll see you in a few hours, Ginji," he told his partner, who whimpered and looked fearfully up at Akabane.

"B-but _Ban-chan_..." he squeaked before dropping to a whisper. "Please don't leave me alone with him..."

"Quit it. You'll be fine," Ban brushed off. He really hated the fact that he trusted that jackal-bastard now, but he did. "I'll be back at five."

Ginji keened and reached his arm out toward the man, following him as he walked out with his fingers stretched in desperation.

"Come, Ginji-kun," Akabane said and lifted Ginji easily off the floor, the blanket falling freely to the carpet, and hefting him up into a more comfortable position before carrying him into the bedroom where the bathroom connected to it. He set him down on the fluffy white shag toilet seat cover and kneeled before him on one knee as he lifted his shirt.

"Akabane-san...y-you won't..." Ginji whimpered, shivering as the cool air hit his chest.

"I won't what, my Ginji-kun?" Akabane smiled.

"...Never mind," Ginji dismissed in a tiny voice and looked away nervously. He felt his foot being lifted onto Akabane's knee and looked down to watch his white sock slip down over his pointed toes, his knees turned in shyly. The same treatment was given to his other foot and then he was forced with a single terrifying look to lift himself up so his boxers could be pulled off. He whimpered again and wrapped his arms around himself as he shook, only half from the temperature.

He yelped as his ears were suddenly assaulted with the thundering of the bath being turned on. He looked over and saw Akabane sitting on the side of the tub, holding his hand under the heavy stream to make sure it was warm enough. Ginji waited in anxious silence while the bath filled, yelping again when he was lifted up under the back and knees. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and cringed as he was lowered and his skin touched the surface of the water, opening them again only when he hit the bottom of the porcelain tub. He noticed then that Akabane didn't have a shirt on and sucked in a breath before blushing brightly and looked straight down to where he was covering himself up with his hands.

"You know, Ginji-kun..." Akabane murmured absently as he trailed his fingers in a circle, just barely dipping them under the water over Ginji's hands. He was sitting lazily on the floor next to the tub, his legs bent haphazardly and gracefully to his side while he leaned heavily against the porcelain. "This really is a fun game you play. I quite enjoy it."

"Wh-what game?" Ginji asked in a tiny voice as he looked up.

"This one," Akabane replied simply, grinning up at him in what Ginji saw as a very threatening way. He gulped and stared pointedly back down at the water, unable to tear his eyes away from Akabane's swimming fingertips.

"I'm not playing any game," Ginji persisted. "You're just scary."

"Oh? Ginji-kun, you know I would never hurt you..." Akabane murmured in a very scary way. His hand lifted from the water and Ginji watched it float up to his chin, stroking the bottom of it teasingly. "Unless, of course-" His eyes glinted evilly. "I saw it fit to."

Ginji gulped and shut his eyes tight, shoving his chin down and breaking free of Akabane's contact with him. But it only made it worse. The finger trailed down his skin until it hit the water again, tickling him along the edge, dipping in and then rising just above the surface again, all the way across.

Akabane laid his head down on his own shoulder, which was next to his other hand, and stared fixedly at the water trails he was leaving as he went across for a second time. The tips of some of his hair were getting wet, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Yes...very fun..." he said quietly.

"Akabane-san..." Ginji started timidly.

"Hm?" Akabane asked quietly, not looking up.

"Are you okay?" the blonde wondered.

"Yes, Ginji-kun. Fine," Akabane replied calmly.

"You didn't sleep?" Ginji pushed.

"No...I was busy..." Akabane answered, still playing with the water.

"Busy doing what?" Ginji asked softly.

"Watching you..." Akabane said with a smile. It faded only a moment later. "You worried me."

"...Really?" Ginji asked a bit incredulously.

Akabane nodded. "Really, really," he replied, skipping the middle steps.

"Oh..." Ginji said and looked down with a pale blush. "...I'm sorry."

"No need," Akabane dismissed and lifted his head, shaking a few droplets from his hair before leaning his chin back down on his hand. He then stood up on his knees all of a sudden, shocking Ginji into jumping, and grabbed a bottle of shampoo from the shelf.

"Ooh, fancy," Ginji admired as the man sat back down lazily.

"Make your hair wet," Akabane ordered absently as he poured a daub of the soap into his hand. Ginji sucked in a deep breath and suddenly dunked himself in the water, slipping down in the tub and shaking his head a little before pushing himself back up fast enough to splash and gasping harshly. It made Akabane laugh softly and he grinned at his success. It was worth it, even if it did hurt like hell.

The man rubbed his hands together before reaching out for Ginji's hair, sliding his fingers through the yellow locks. And then he was leaning forward, holding Ginji in place, and pressing their lips together. Ginji tensed, breathing the scent of the shampoo in sharply on accident and pushing himself up a little on his hands. Teeth nipped at his lip and he lowered it, allowing Akabane inside, however much he didn't want to, and pressing into the kiss. He relaxed and let himself sink back down a little unpurposely when he lifted his hands off the bottom of the tub and placed them on either side of Akabane's neck. Moving so he could speak clearly around a lollie pop wasn't worth it, but this definitely was. Besides, he was only trying to push the man away, definitely not urging him to deepen anything.

He felt Akabane's hand slid down from his neck to grasp at his side before going even further down to the crook of his hip. With a short gasp, he pulled back, eyes staying closed, and leaned his forehead against Akabane's.

"Need you..." he breathed wantonly. Akabane pulled back and grinned at him, leaning his chin on his hand, elbow on the side of the tub.

"Need me to what, my Ginji-kun?" he asked with a distinct malicious tone. Ginji whimpered and stared straight back, unable to tear his gaze away from those hypnotic violet eyes.

"T-to stop! I mean-I can't-" he started again, averting his eyes and forgetting everything he'd just done, focusing on the fact that this monster was sitting in front of him, well, to the side, and staring at him like he was a piece of meat.

"Oh? You didn't seem to mind a moment ago..." Akabane reminded him smugly.

"I was-Mind control! It's the only answer!" Ginji exclaimed suddenly. Akabane laughed softly and he cringed away with a small whine of perplexed discomfort.

"Hai, hai...that must be it..." Akabane agreed with an amused smile.

"It has to be! Because-because I could never-!"

"Never what, Ginji-kun?" Akabane asked in that terribly smooth voice of his.

"I couldn't love you! I mean you're-!"

"I'm?"

"...Dr. Jackal..." Ginji whispered, seeming almost ashamed of the word.

Akabane leaned in and caught him with a horribly intent stare. "Oh? Do you wish me to become Dr. Jackal right now, _Ginji-kun?_" he teased, completely straight faced.

Ginji gulped, his fear multiplying tenfold. Unable to speak, as he found when he tried, he settled for snapping his mouth shut and shaking his wide-eyed head.

Akabane narrowed his eyes and reached his dripping hand back out to grip Ginji's chin firmly, but not painfully.

"Then I would be a good little toy and obey," he said with that horrible lavender glint in his eye that froze Ginji's blood in his veins every time. He finally forced himself to nod, his muscles moving mechanically, and sank down a little in the tub as if he were trying to disappear into the water. "Good. Then this should prove to be very entertaining," Akabane smiled again, though it was by no means a comforting one, and was, in fact, the exact opposite.

"Why does everything you do have to be so terrifying?" Ginji asked in a small voice.

"I've no idea what you mean, my dear Ginji-kun," Akabane smiled cheerfully at him, feigning ignorance rather convincingly. His smile became a frown as he looked down into the water. "Yare, yare...look at this...how dirty it's become..." he sighed and reached over to pull the plug. The only sounds in the room for a moment were the water draining and the sound of a frozen Ginji's teeth chattering, and then the plug was replaced and the faucet turned on again, and he was warmed quickly by the new steaming liquid. As soon as it was full, Ginji rinsed his hair out and rubbed his eyes clear of the water.

"Here you go, Ginji-kun," Akabane said as he got a washcloth from the drawer and held it out. "For you."

"I, uh..." Ginji started, looking down and blushing.

"Hai?" Akabane inquired sweetly.

"C-can you do it? It's not-! Uh...it's just hard to move is all," the blonde excused shyly, looking up at the man through his eyelashes.

Akabane smiled and nodded. "Very well, my Ginji-kun," he said and dipped the cloth into the water before pouring some of the soap onto it and sliding it gently across Ginji's shoulders. "It is so fun to play with my toy, after all..." he said amusedly. Ginji smiled and nodded.

"Y-yeah..." he replied, actually not seeming frightened again. He hunched his shoulders a little and slid down lower into the water, enjoying the warmth. Only then, the washcloth was dragged across one of his cuts and he winced, sucking in a breath through his teeth.

"I apologize," Akabane said softly.

"S'okay...just stung a little," Ginji brushed off.

"Is it normal for there to still be injuries like this at this point?" Akabane wondered.

"N-not exactly...I've mostly been focusing on my bones," Ginji admitted and sank down a little further.

"Yare, yare...what a poor little Ginji-kun..." Akabane sighed and brushed over the cut again, trying to get the excess clumps of blood off it. Ginji winced again and shrank back. "Stay still."

"R-right...'kay..." Ginji nodded, accidentally flinched back when it was cleaned off again. Luckily, Akabane left it alone after that.

The bath was over much too soon for Ginji's liking. He loved being pampered, and it was just his good fortune that Akabane was the type to enjoy playing with living dolls. He was taken from the bath and set down on the seat again to be dried off and wrapped in fluffy towels, and then transported out of the room and onto the bed where Akabane created another chain of scalpels from the outlet to Ginji. The action drew a shudder from the boy, but he seemed relieved nonetheless when the electricity hit him and he moaned appreciatively, using a little burst of energy to dry himself off the rest of the way.

"That's...very nice," he sighed and relaxed into the pillow as an extra blanket was laid out over him. he opened his eyes a bit and looked up at Akabane, who was looking down while he took off his belt.

"I presume you're going to fall asleep?" he asked with an amused smile as he watched his own hands.

"Yeah, pro'lly..." Ginji nodded, completely satisfied with how the day had gone thus far.

"Good. I shall return soon," Akabane announced and walked back into the bathroom after stepping out of his pants. The door didn't close and thus the sound of the shower was even easier to hear. Ginji fell asleep to it quickly and never saw Kuroudo come back out a few dozen minutes later. The man sat on the side of the bed, twisted to the side, and watched him sleep for a while until he decided he should probably get a few things done while the boy didn't need too much watching over. He was fine for now, and there was an apartment to go be domestic in. His toy needed a cleanly environment if he was going to get better, after all.

When Ginji awoke, he found a small note folded on the pillow next to his. He groaned and rubbed his eye before grabbing it with a floppy hand and using his thumb to unfold it as he let his head drop back down onto the pillow tiredly.

_To my dearest Ginji-kun,_

_I have gone out to the laundromat._

_I shall return to you soon, my love._

_Yours beloved,_

_Akabane Kuroudo_

_xoxo_

Ginji couldn't help but burst out into giggles. To think! Dr Jackal-_the_ Dr Jackal-had written him _this_ note. He may be the uke, but Akabane was definitely the wife!

He looked at the note again and ran his eyes over the signature a few times. _Akabane Kuroudo_... Ginji grinned. From now on, his Akabane-san would be his Kuro-chan. It was only appropriate, what with his villainous status and dark hat and outfits. Even if he wasn't much of a villain anymore.

He heard the door open and grinned, trembling for a split second in nervous excitement, waiting for his Kuro-chan to walk in.

"Tadaima, Ginji-kun," Akabane greeted with a polite smile, looking up from the laundry bag he was glancing through before going back to it as he walked across the room to the dresser.

"Okaerinasai," Ginji smiled back, trying to stay casual. "Kuro-chan."

Akabane stiffened and looked up at the boy with rather wide eyes.

"Did you just call me Kuro-chan?" he asked.

"...Hai? Maybe...if you won't kill me horribly..." Ginji said as he shrank back into the pillows and tried to disappear underneath the blanket.

"...No...I don't think I will..." Akabane murmured as if honestly considering the action, his fingertip on his chin as he looked absently off to the side. His eyesight snapped back to the rapidly shrinking Ginji on the bed and he smiled widely. "I think I rather enjoy being referred to as Kuro-chan. Ginji-kun."

"Yay!" Ginji cheered and pushed the blankets back down to his waist as he sat up. He wished he had his vest so he could pull his Saiwai Sensu out and do a little dance, but unfortunately it was hanging by the door. So he settled for clapping and bouncing a little. "Kuro-chan, my Kuro-chan, my Kuro-chanchanchan, Kuroro-chan! Waaaaaai!"

"I take it you're feeling better?" Akabane smiled at him as he set his cloth bag down on the dresser's top and began to untangle a shirt from the pile inside.

"Uh-huh! Say, Kuro-chan..." Ginji said with a finger on his chin as he looked up innocently, watching his Akabane fold one of his white button-ups. "Since Kuro-chan is Kuro-chan now...can I be Gin-chan?"

"Why, of course, Gin-chan," Akabane smiled sweetly and laid the neatly folded shirt into the second-down drawer.

"Waaaai!" Ginji cheered in an even higher voice with a giggle. He reached out and made grabby-hands at his Kuroudo. "I can help, Kuro-chan! I watched a video in the electricals store on how to perfectly fold a shirt every single time!"

When Ban arrived five minutes later, he was still working on his first shirt, unable to let go of the energy chain recharging him and yet refusing to give up just because he had to do it one-handedly.

"No, no! I'll get it!" he insisted once more as Akabane tried to take it from him. The man smiled indulgently and sat down at the end of the bed to watch him in case he should decide he needed any help. The rest of the laundry was done and put away and the rest of the house was clean, so there wasn't much left to do but play with his living doll.

"Yosh," Ban greeted as he leaned in under his hand hooked over the top of the doorway. "What's going on in here? You makin' him do chores while he's under the weather, Akabane?"

"Quiet, Ban-chan...I'm going to get this...eventually..." Ginji said with his tongue sticking out slightly and a frown of concentration.

"Yes, he's been very intent on finishing this himself," Akabane murmured as he watched Ginji sigh and start over again. Ban clicked his tongue and walked over, snatching the garment away off the bed, folding it quickly, and tossing it back down despite his partner's cut-off protests.

"Ban-_chaaan_..." Ginji whined, tears coming to his eyes. "I woulda got it..."

"Chyeah. Woulda. Anyways, what's up, pup?" Ban asked as he sat on the bedside, one leg bent up so he could see Ginji without twisting his back too much. He rested his elbow on his knee and leaned his chin on the heel of his palm.

"Nothin'..." Ginji shrugged. "Just sittin' around...sleepin'..."

"Sounds fun," Ban said dismissively. "I brought you a present from Natsumi-chan," he mentioned. "It's in the living room. Hang on." He retrieved the plastic bag the girl had given him and sat back down, handing the wrapped parcel over to the invalid.

"Aww, she didn't have to..." Ginji cooed. "But I'm glad she did!" He unwrapped the package quickly and dumped the contents onto the bed. "Ooh! A bag of Paul-san's premium coffee!"

"Yeah, she figured you'd be in withdrawal by now, and since you won't be able to get there for _a few days_-" he bit out agitatedly, "-she figured she should send some over."

"Kuro-chan...do you have a coffee-maker?" Ginji asked unassumingly as he looked up at the man with his big brown eyes.

"Hai, Gin-chan," Akabane smiled.

"Oh, _god_..." Ban groused and slapped his forehead into his palm. "I thought this couldn't get any worse."

"What couldn't get any worse, Ban-chan?" Ginji asked in faultless confusion.

"Kuro-chan? _Gin-chan?_ _Really?_" Ban sighed before looking up accusingly. "You're doing this to me on purpose. I just know it."

"Doing _what_, Ban-chan?" Ginji asked innocently. "It's just names..."

"Just names. Pff! Just _pet_ names," Ban contemned, glaring at him. "This is getting more sickening than I thought possible."

"Ban-chan...you're being mean again..." Ginji pouted.

"Yeah? Imagine what _I_ feel like. I'm a nice person by nature, y'know," Ban animadverted. "You guys _make_ me act this way."

"Oh, you two _are_ an amusing pair, aren't you..." Akabane chimed in from the sidelines.

"Shut up," Ban commanded halfheartedly. "This is serious."

"Yeah, seriously annoying," Ginji muttered.

"Hey, now," Ban said and pointed his finger at the boy. "With you out of commission, I'm earning all your money. Don't act like I'm the bad guy here. Although I am going to keep ninety percent of your share."

"But, Ban-chan-!" Ginji cried out, his voice full of betrayal.

"Eh-eh! You're the one not doing any of the work! You should be glad I'm giving you any at all! Especially since now you have your little sugar-daddy anyway!" Ban reasoned loudly, gesturing widely to Akabane, who was still watching and seeming very entertained by the exchange.

"B-but I can't just steal his money!" Ginji objected.

"Yes, you can," Akabane said.

"Oh, but you can steal _mine?_" Ban shouted at the same time, his voice overpowering Akabane's. "Wait-" He sat back down. "He can?"

"Oh, sure," Akabane nodded. "I've almost no use for it. My Ginji-kun can have anything he wants."

"Really?" Ginji cried out.

"Really, really," Akabane smiled sweetly before his eyes sharpened suddenly. "But if he gets greedy, the punishment shall be swift and fitting."

Ginji shrank back again, sweating bullets as he nodded at the ominous stare.

"R-right...no greediness...none whatsoever...I'm not a greedy person anyways, ne, Ban-chan?" Ginji diverted, hoping to turn the negative attention away from himself.

"Ch," Ban scoffed. "You're the most greedy person I know."

"I am _not!_ _You're_ the one who takes all those dangerous jobs from Hevn-san just because she mentions money at all!" Ginji objected mightily. "_And_ you ate a whole plate of my sushi my Kuro-chan bought me!"

"That was payment for the mental trauma you put me through," Ban dismissed easily with a wave of his hand.

"It was still greedy! A _lot_ greedier than me!" Ginji persisted, hoping that if he was loud enough, he would win. Unfortunately it was getting him seemingly nothing but a bit of a short breath and a pain in his ribs. He put his hand over them to try and quiet them.

"Maa maa, you win," Ban gave in as a wave of guilt washed over him at the sight of his friend hurting himself over the argument. "You're practically a saint."

Ginji huffed at him through his nose. "_Thank_ you." He flopped down onto his side and squeezed the pillow in his hand just in front of his face as he frowned petulantly. "And now I'm hungry for sushi."

"Be right back," Akabane excused himself and the pair watched him walk out before looking back at each other, Ban leaning his hand on the bedspread casually.

"You really have him whipped," he commented.

"Well, I don't mean to..." Ginji worried.

"Please. Like it's a bad thing," Ban scoffed.

"But I don't wanna take advantage of him or anything..." Ginji persisted.

"You won't. You two are freaky in love," Ban waved off. "He's got you twisted around his pinky and you've got him in the palm of your hand."

"Ah, just where I want to be," Akabane said as he stepped back inside with a sushi platter. He set it on the bedspread and uncovered the top for Ginji, who immediately snatched five pieces up and shoved them into his mouth.

"_That's_ attractive," Ban sneered in shame that this was his best friend and waited as long as he could stand before doing the same. "See? _Told you_ you were greedy! Jeez, save some for the rest of us!" he snarled with his mouth stuffed full.


End file.
